Author is city grant writer by day, fiction writer at night

Published on Saturday, 25 November 2017 20:24 Written by Lorenzo Burgio

STAFF WRITER

BRISTOL - Many know Dr. Dawn Leger as the senior grant writer for the Bristol Development Authority. She is also an award winning author that recently completed the third book in her mystery series, though.

“I’ve always been a writer - grants during the day and fiction at night,” said Leger, a lifelong Bristol resident who has been included in the Strathmore’s Who’s Who Worldwide Edition for her outstanding contributions and achievements in the field of grant writing.

Before Leger began to write her mystery series, she published two books unrelated to the series that can be found at the Bristol Public Library: “Eagle Scouting” and “In Flight.”

“Eagle Scouting” was the last book Leger wrote and focused on 9/11, she explained. After completing that book, she felt that she “needed to do something fun, a lot lighter,” she said, which led her to begin her new mystery series that she just completed the third book for.

However, she is still in the process of “polishing” the book, she said, and was unable to release the title, but it is slated to be released next summer.

“I’m projecting 22 books in the series. Each is sort of based on a different tarot card,” Leger said, explaining that the first book of the series is titled “Embracing the Fool,” and the second book is, “Freeing the Magician.” Both of which can be found on Amazon.

The main character in the mystery series, Professor Cassie Thornton, tries to “start over” and hide her past that involves her mother, a gypsy, Leger explained.

“But people from her past keep popping up, and things that she wanted to hide keep turning up, because no matter where you go, you always bring your past with you,” Leger said.

Leger wrote the first four books of the series in one year. “I wrote with the idea that I didn’t want to worry about getting the next one out,” she said.

When writing a series, Leger explained, each book is like an episode. “It’s fun for me,” she said. “You have the luxury of developing the characters over a long period of time and don’t have to recreate the world in each book.”

“I hope people will give it a shot and people, I think, will enjoy it,” Leger added. “Bristol has been very supportive.”

On Dec. 2, Leger will be featured in a book signing at the Bristol Historical Society, 98 Summer St., that will focus on the first two books of the series. She will be joined by Chuck Radda and David Fortier, who will also be signing copies of their books.